Weekly COVID-19 update: 2,673 new cases, 1,231 recoveries

The latest infections, comprising of 61 imported cases and 2,612 locally-transmitted cases, brought the national caseload to 13,211.

During the past week, Viet Nam reported a record number of 1,231 recovered patients, raising the recoveries to 5,229 while the death toll rose by seven to 66.

As of Sunday morning, nearly 2.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the country, with 115,315 people having been fully vaccinated.

*On June 20, Viet Nam received 500,000 doses of Vero-Cell vaccine produced by Sinopharm. The vaccine will be used to vaccinate Chinese citizens working in Viet Nam, Vietnamese who intend to go to China to study and do business, and people living in areas bordering China.

* Earlier, on June 16, nearly one million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Japanese Government arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi, paving the way for the largest-ever COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Ho Chi Minh City.

* The Government on June 19 issued a resolution on the purchase of 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine imported by the Viet Nam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC).

* HCMC imposed stricter social distancing measures against COVID-19 by banning gatherings of more than three people and requesting people to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 meter in public places, suspension of all non-essential businesses and services as well as street markets. The city also requested local residents refrain from going outside, except for food, medicine, emergency care, or working at factories.

* The Standing Board of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control agreed to create the best possible conditions for the trial of homegrown vaccines. If the trial goes well, in the context of vaccine scarcity the Ministry of Health will submit to competent agencies for approval of the use of homegrown vaccines in emergency circumstances.

* The Ministry of Health urged the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (VABIOTECH) to conduct procedures to receive Sputnik V vaccine production technology from Russia in two phases. In the first phase, the company will import materials from Russia for bottling and production is expected to begin in July.

* The Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV) said it has just sent a document to regional airport authorities, airlines, and Viet Nam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) about the adjustment period of mandatory centralized quarantine from 14 to at least 21 days for air passengers entering the country from abroad./.

By Kim Anh